In general, thin clients refer to devices and software that request applications and/or files from another computing device, such as a server. A thin-client device is typically a processor based device that is equipped with minimal hardware and software, hence the term “thin”. To request applications and/or files, the thin client connects to an applications server using a predefined connection. One technique for managing the connection in a thin client involves assigning a single predefined connection to a user. Another technique for managing the connection involves using a failover connection. A failover connection may be designated as a connection that a thin-client device may use to connect to a server if a primary connection fails. Using failover connections has typically been associated with a single connection group. That is, the thin client would be configured with a single connection group, where at least one connection in that group is a failover connection. These techniques, however, may limit the ability of an administrator to manage connections for users in a manner that provides reliable and multiple connections. For example, a thin client has been limited to connecting with the server either using a single predefined connection with one or more failover connections associated with that connection, or using multiple concurrent connections.
Additionally, managing a connection for a thin-client has typically not taken into consideration the activities of the user. For example, the thin-client generally attempts to establish a connection to a server regardless of whether the user needs the connection at that particular time. This technique for managing a connection, however, may result in tying up server resources unnecessarily. This practice may also result in higher cost of network operations because more connections than necessary may need to be supported. Consequently, known techniques for managing connections are inadequate in certain situations.